I experienced a couple of hopefully growing pains, that union stage should work on. 1. How hard is it to put a coat rack w/hangers in each room when the temperature outside is 7 degrees? That was poor planning on the venues behalf. 2. When I called the number listed at 8pm, my call was directed to Ticket Fly. That is unprofessional, a live human should always be available to speak to customers at the actual venue. 3. The event ended 2 hours earlier than the time stated on the flyer, found on the union stage website; for planning purposes this is inconsiderate to your patrons that may have come later, expecting to have more time to enjoy the entertainment. 4. The "bouncers" need to consider the aforementioned before attempting to put people out of the venue. When waiting on my Uber driver, I WILL wait in the "lobby" until they arrive, especially when the temperature is 7 degrees outside, the event has ended earlier than expected and I've held my coat all night. Overall the venue is clean & decent, but has some customer service work to do. read more

I came to the Wharf a couple weeks ago, and really enjoyed myself minus the fact that the upstairs bar was sweltering to the point where I'm 99% sure my bartender was sweating into my beer as he poured it. Felt bad for the big guy. I walked back in this weekend in hopes that the AC was fixed, and was hit with a wave of humidity and heat from inside. Great venue and even better pizza overall though. read more

We recently worked with Union Stage on a private event and the entire experience, from planning to execution, was excellent! Natalie and Eddie were attentive and offered great suggestions to ensure our event was a success. The food and drinks were delicious. The bartenders were friendly and made sure people didn't have to wait for their signature cocktails. If you are looking for a unique space to hold a corporate or private event, I would highly recommend you look no further! read more

Not sure if I would ever go back to union stage because our sever basically kicked us out of our seats in premier plus section (that we paid for), unless Anita was bartending. She not only kept our drinks full the entire night but understood that we weren't from the area and needs some guidance. She took care of us all night. It's easy to find a fun place to DC but harder to find a bartender that actually wants to make your night great too. If you ever hit up a concert a union stage ask for Anita, you will not disappointed! read more

The place is fine. Decent sound to the speakers, good viewing area of the stage. Bars upstairs in the lobby and in the venue. When I went it wasn't overly full, which was nice. HOWEVER...they have no coat check. It gets cold outside - people wear coats - and then it gets hot inside - and people don't want to wear their coats. And they have a "No Backpack" rule, which is fine but without a coat check its a problem. Union Stage, you are hip, you appeal to the kids who bike around (with backpacks). You get the urban professionals right after staying in the office too long (with backpacks). You get people coming from across the country and around the world to this fair city to see the sites. Many of them after long days of seeing our city (with backpacks). This is not really acceptable. I had to miss the opening act so I could Uber home and back to drop off my back pack. NOT cool. read more

Delicious drinks and food options! Love that there are 16 different beers on tap! Music, lights, and sound are all incredible! Also, hang out upstairs! It's a very cool and eclectic vibe that's significantly different from whatever show is happening elsewhere! read more

Came here to see one of my friend's comedy show. The venue is nice and clean, and has a good set up. The pizza we ordered was decent. Overall a fun evening, I look forward to coming here for more events/concerts. read more

Union Stage was a great venue to work with. New, well-kept facilities that are the perfect raw space for any program. They coordinated well with the décor and catering companies I brought in, as well as the whole team staying through the entire evening to ensure everything went smoothly. Their entrance is a bit hidden, but the location right on the Wharf is beautiful. read more

Five of us went to Union Stage last night to see Parsonsfield, a multi-genre band from New England that we've enjoyed many times before. The opening act was a singer-songwriter Brian Dunne, previously unknown to me but with a great voice and compelling lyrics. Parsonsfield was excellent as always. But this is a review about the venue... Union Stage ought to be first class since it's owned by the same folks who have run Jammin' Java for years and, of course, much will depend on the acts they are able to book. But the space is cold, uninspired with blank white walls and a hemmed-in feeling. There were no seats last night (a slightly raised platform in the back of the room has seats, but they were roped off and not available), so the only choice is to stand or, perhaps, lean on the bar (and get in the way of other patrons). There are no provisions that I could see for wheelchairs or the physically challenged. I am unable to stand for long periods of time, so I asked one of the employees if they could provide a chair and he was very accommodating, but it would be better if we didn't have to ask. There's a great beer selection and an adequate array of liquors. The menu is limited to pizza, but there are numerous versions served (stay away from the white pizza -- it tastes fine, but it's a mess to eat; the roasted veggie pizza was delicious). Other reviewers have complained about staff attitude and rude bartenders, but both of the bartenders I dealt with were friendly and efficient so maybe that's an issue that's already been dealt with. Having no seats and just letting people stand might work fine for bands that people want to dance to, but that wasn't Parsonsfield -- they deserve a stage-and-audience treatment -- either auditorium seating or table-and-chairs arrangements (like The Hamilton or Jammin' Java). The sign on the wall said that occupancy was limited to (I think) 424 people; I'd hate to be in that room when that number was reached -- you wouldn't be able to breathe! Would I go back to Union Stage? Sure, if the act was one I really wanted to see. But it's not a place I'd drop into on a lark, at least not until some improvements are made. read more

It's a cool intimate concert space in the lower level of this venue. The VIP section I thought was upstairs that would look down towards the stage, but it's not. It's a raised section tucked in the back corner on the main floor with tables (high tops and regular) and chairs. You do have your own server to get your order. But if everyone on the floor is standing up for the performance, your view will be blocked. I noticed people in the VIP section standing up too just so they can see. We ended up leaving the VIP section so we could see. The actual concert venue is just one floor. There is a bar once you enter on the left with some food available and down the stairs is bathrooms and doors to the concert space. read more

I just attended my second event at Union Stage and had a great time! The staff is friendly, the cocktail menu features robust options, and the pizza was delicious! Eddie from Impact has been wonderful in assisting us with last minute requests and made sure our team had a wonderful event! read more

A great concert venue and friendly staff! I came here for a Tuesday night concert to see one of my favorite artists. I got there super early to be at the front of the line. The area is really nice so I had plenty to walk around and explore before I got in line. They started letting us in about ten minutes before the doors time they stated, and then had us wait in the stairwell down to the concert area for another 20 minutes or so. My friend had arrived after me but they wouldn't let her join me, even though we were together and they were letting plenty of other people step in and out of line once their tickets were checked. That wasn't great, but we found each other once we were inside. The bartender was super nice and gave me recommendations for his favorite beer, which I always appreciate. The venue itself is really small and fills up very quickly. Due to the way it's laid out, the merch area--which always gets crowded after a concert ends--was too close to the exit and made it hard to leave or to buy anything. I definitely prefer U Street when it comes to smaller DC venues, but Union Stage gets bonus points for its awesome bar staff. read more

This place is cool...the happy hour is decent and the service is great. It's small, so seating is limited, but the atmosphere is great. In fact, the size of the place sort of fits the venue since it hosts performances. The pizza is delicious. I think it's one of the wharf's best kept secrets. read more

Its where people meet and the music plays. Union Stage is for pizza and music lovers.

Enjoyed the show and space. I thought the bar selections were great, and bartenders patient and friendly; loved being able to order food to the bar and then stay there (no crushing crowd) while we ate. We had a pretty decent view of the performance while we leaned against the bar, and to my (non-expert) senses both the sound and lights were appropriate. The space was not super crowded, so I'm not sure how much my enjoyment would have changed (or what it would look like) if the show had been sold out. I do agree with those that have mentioned that some sort of seating space would be nice, as would a coat check (or even just an at-your-own-risk rack). In addition, they should have some sort of signage to clarify how folks walking in can purchase tickets; we stopped in the night before and were befuddled by the lack of a box office (as far as I understand it you can purchase tickets from the upstairs bar or from the person manning the door downstairs). We did not encounter the other issues identified in some of the earlier reviews (rude staff/bar), in fact quite the opposite. read more

Came to see a show that a friend was performing in over the weekend. While the show was great- the staff and bouncers are incredibly rude and disrespectful to patrons. As a first timer to the venue, it is a total turnoff to get yelled at upon entry, and is not the first experience anyone wants to have. Don't plan on returning or recommending. read more

This venue has potential. Like others, I want to see it succeed. It's owned by the Jammin' Java guys, however I'm dumbfounded by some of the choices made for the venue itself. It sits off an alleyway, positioned pretty close to the street where if you're not looking, you're bound to get hit by a car (actually, all of the Wharf is this way which strikes me as odd). The bouncers were straightforward and in no way rude as others have pointed out. The upstairs bar is small and quaint, reminiscent of Jammin' Java's little pre-show area. Down a long set of steps is the main venue, behind a closed door that's plastered in WiFi passwords and a sign that says the place is cashless (also weird to me, but whatever). The stage inside gave me mixed feelings. People had commented that it's cold and uninspired. It's not the prettiest of small, intimate settings (especially one as new as this place), however it was cozy enough. Piping is everywhere overhead, giving it an industrial look. The saddest part of the whole venue is the seated area. For whatever reason, they've decided to put the higher paid seating toward the back left. You get a pretty good view (depending on where you sit), however it's no way a better experience. During the whole show, we saw people all around us leave the seated area to get a closer look at the stage. We opted to stay seated as we've seen Tyrone Wells quite a few times, however Tyrone's comment during the show that our section was so far back really cemented this poor venue decision. Pizza was pretty good and our server (white guy with man bun) even comped our food when he forgot to bring it to us. He also worked on getting the drunk table near the front of the seated area to hush during the show. Since the place is cashless (and I had no cash on me), I had no way to tip the man since we owed nothing for the comped food. To the management reading this, this employee deserves some recognition. Overall, this venue has potential, but it just feels incomplete. They probably built into the space the best they could, however some more planning would have resulted in alleviating some of the issues me and other reviewers have with the place as a whole. read more

I went to Union Stage with 3 friends to see Brent Faiyez a few weeks ago and had a great time!! When we got there we ordered the hot and sweet pizza and the pepperoni. Both were delicious, which is rare. A lot of the music venues in the area have very meh food. We hung out at the tap room (the upstairs bar) before and after the show. It was nice to be able to continue the party and not have to find somewhere else to hang. Overall I really enjoyed the experience and am really excited to see more shows at this new venue. read more

We hosted a corporate conference and it was a very good experience, with helpful staff who were very responsive to our questions prior to the event, and super during the day of the event! Loved our time at Union Stage!! read more

Went to this venue for a concert and didn't know what to expect with the updates on the Wharf recently. I enjoyed this place - drinks are expensive and bathrooms are teeny, but the vibe is really cool and everyone was super friendly! I would definitely come back for a show. The acoustics were great and after standing in a few different areas, I noticed that there wasn't much of a bad view in the place. To put that in perspective, I'm 5'1 and have trouble seeing at a lot of GA shows! This place is big enough that I could stand in the back and still see over everyone but also be in the middle of the crowd and have a view. Obviously limited in spots, but one of the better venues I've been to for a small and intimate show. I do wish there was some sort of seating, other than the upstairs taphouse but I'll take that for all the other positives this place has! still pretty much a basic concert venue but worth the cheap tickets! read more

Unbelievable. I got my boyfriend and I tickets to see Joyner Lucas and Dizzy Wright. Sadly Joyner ended up canceling but we decided to go anyway since I couldn't get a refund on the tickets. (Joyner was the reason we were going.) I got "Premium Plus" tickets which meant that we got to sit in a raised section where we get to sit and enjoy table service. When we got there they gave us the "PP" bands and we went up to sit down at a table. Right when we sat down, a server walked by and took away the ordering card stands they had on the table, without even saying a word. I had to go ask someone if we were getting table service (LIKE I PAID FOR) and we were told that there were not enough people there so they're not going to be serving anyone. So we ended up just ordering from the bar for the rest of our time there. THEN, after a couple beers each and enjoying the show, we went to order another beer and were told to "drink water and go dance"........ EXCUSE me...? We were both completely sober and TRYING to have a good time. After a little while we decided to leave since it was NOT turning out the way we had planned. When I went to pay the tab, I tipped only $3 (which was MORE than 10% of the tab and I shouldn't have even tipped since we didn't get the service I had payed for) and the bartender looked at me and TOLD ME that I had to tip more than that. We just left. Not happy with the service OR the fact that we payed more for the exact same thing as the General Admission's got. Not to mention the rudeness of the staff. We will NOT be going there again. read more

This is a poor music venue. The stage is not elevated enough to allow everyone to see performers and the lighting was blinding to the point where we had to shield our eyes. And the VIP tickets are not worth it - you are not guaranteed a table or even chairs and there are large posts blocking the stage. Servers were extremely rude. read more

Just writing to say the pizza here is great! Thin and crispy and a good price. Take out available or eat at the bar. It was a nice surprise!! read more

Delicious pizza and drinks and the atmosphere rocks (pun intended)! Definitely recommend heading there for a show when you're out and about at The Wharf. The staff is incredibly nice and helpful. read more

I've been to several shows at this new venue. Wow! Great sound and lights. For a new spot it has very good vibes and personality -- and surprise, surprise great food and beers on tap too. My friends and I found the pizza to be unique and very tasty. You gotta try it. I'll go back. read more

Cool place! My friends and I had great time listening to live music and enjoying the beer options! I am looking forward to attending more events here read more